AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Come in,” he called.
I stepped into the room and glanced around. No sight of Liam, only Uncle Oscar, sitting behind his desk with his glasses propped on the end of his nose, sorting through a stack of papers.
He looked up when I entered, gazing at me over the tops of his reading glasses. “Eve, come in. Vivian made me some sandwiches. There’s more than enough to share. I was hoping she’d send you in here when she uncovered where you’d gone off to.”
I slid into the seat across the desk from him. “I’ve been reading those books you lent me.”
“Oh, good! How are you finding them?” He selected a sandwich and motioned for me to join him.
“Fascinating.” I lifted one of the sandwiches off the tray. “Only, I don’t yet understand what’s convinced you to believe the legends about Godda. I’ve been thinking that, given what you wrote about the temple ruins and Edric’s reputation as an excellent hunter, maybe that’s how the legends started. Like, maybe he met Godda in the temple or something, and given how beautiful she was and that it was a temple to a Fae Huntress, the legends got it all mixed up.” I paused, then took a bite of my sandwich before I could continue rambling on and possibly making myself look like an idiot.
“Spoken like a budding historian. Quite good.” He chuckled. “So you’ve been reading my paper, then?”
I nodded. “Liam left a copy for me. I told him I’d like to read it after he’d mentioned it when we went to town together the other day.”
“Ah, yes. Liam. It appears he returned earlier than I’d expected. But I had a chat with him this morning, and he’s off cataloging the artifacts in the cellar. Since he’ll be busy with that for a while, I asked him if he’d mind if you helped a bit.”
“Oh?”
“Yes.” Uncle Oscar paused to chew a bite of his sandwich. “He’s all for it. Left a note over there with some things you could get started on, if you like.” He pointed to a filing cabinet near the door.
“Of course! I really want to help.”
“All right. So long as you find it enjoyable. I hate to put you to work on your holiday.”
“I love it. All of it.” I leaned back in the chair and sighed, glancing around at his messy desk and bookshelves.
“Good, good.” He poured me a cup of tea. “Have some tea and help me finish these sandwiches, and then we’ll put you to work.”
The afternoon passed quickly as I worked quietly side by side with my uncle. Liam had left me a few organizing and scanning tasks that kept me busy, especially when nearly every file contained fascinating bits of information that I kept stopping to read.
“Eve,” Uncle Oscar said, interrupting an interesting story I’d been reading about the history behind those gargoyles Liam had found in the attic.
“Yes?” I pulled the remaining sheets of paper and photos off the scanner and returned them to the file folder.
“Would you mind checking in with Vivian about tea?”
I checked the clock. “Oh! How did it get so late already?” After retrieving the empty sandwich tray, teapot, and mugs from the top of the cabinet behind my uncle’s desk, I headed for the kitchen.
On the way down the hall, I decided that, since I still hadn’t figured out how or what I wanted to tell her about me and Liam, it would be safer to not say anything, at least for now. I peeked into the library as I walked past but saw no sign of my aunt. So I continued on to the kitchen, pausing outside the doorway to rebalance the tray. Then I heard the muffled sound of singing and chopping filter through the door into the hallway. When I pushed open the door, I found my aunt with an apron tied around her waist, surrounded by vegetables and measuring cups, with pots bubbling on the stove and caramelized aromas wafting from the oven.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Making dinner, dear. What does it look like I’m doing?” She snatched an onion off the table and resumed singing and chopping.
“But what happened to your cook?” If Aunt Vivian was making dinner, there was no way I could justify going out with Liam tonight—at least not without telling her about our hookup.
She paused with the knife poised over the onion. “I gave Marge the night off. It’s the solstice festival tonight. Starts at sundown.” She glanced out the window and then back at me. “Looks like it’s probably just about to begin.”
“Solstice festival?”
“Oh, it’s a tradition around here. Celebrating the return of the sun and other local superstitions.” She shrugged and resumed chopping.
“Uncle Oscar sent me in to ask about tea. He must have forgotten about the festival. Maybe I should bring him something and come back to lend you a hand.”
“Oh, that would be lovely. How are you with potatoes?” She pointed her knife at a bag on the counter. “Those all need to be peeled for the mash. Peeler’s in the drawer there.”
I put the kettle on to boil water, then found the potato peeler and set to work while I waited.
